Display device



y 12, 1953 H. H. HUTT 2,637,924

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed July 1, 194a INVENTOR HERMAN H. HUTT ATTORNEY Patented May 12, 1953 UNITED STATES PAT ENT OFF-ICE.

DISPLAY, DEVIGE.

Herman 11.. Hutt, Brooklyn, N, Y

Application J My 1, 1948, Serial No. 36,332

4. Glaimst This invention relates to display devices adapted to. produce an extended or protrudingdisplay; pnaferabls in translucentor transparent material. Still more: particularly; the invention deals with devices of this kind wherein the display is: normally arranged in a. hat coupled relationship, facilitating shipment or transportation and. compact packaging and whereby the display may he quickly and easily set up for use: by simply pushing" one edge portion; of the display in the direction of the: opposed. end portion, in. which operation, the coupled parts slide one upon. the other and. the. iront: wall portion is bulged or extended to predetermined iorm- The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following descriptions when taken together with the. accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention. are disclosed, and in which the. sepa.- rate parts are. designated by suitable reference characters in each. of the views; and. in which:

Fig. lis a perspective view of: a display made according to myinventicn, showing, the same in its. set up display position. I

Fig, 2 is a rear view of the device as seen in Fig. 1, showing the same. in. the flat or" folded position in dot, and dash. lines.

Fig. 3 is a section on; the, line 3--3.o-f. Fig, 1, showing the method of initially assembling; the parts preparatory to packaging and. later displaying. the same. I

Fig. 4 is a section. on the line {I -4 of. Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of a modified form of construction which I employ.

Fig. 6 is a. view similar to Fig. 5', showing another form of construction; and

Fig. '7' is a section on. the line 7-1 ofFig. 5.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 41nclusive, I provide a display device comprising a back hoard orsheet of relatively firm or rigid material, such as heavy cardboard, fibre'board or the like. At H, I have shown a flexible and preferably transparent or translucent display sheet which can be characterized in any desired manner for advertising or displ'ay'purposes. For example, at it; in Fig. 1-, is diagrammatically i1 lustrated a display printed or otherwise formed on the sheet H, and at I2" is diagrammatically illustrated the shadowof the display as it would appear on the front face of the back-board or sheet ill.

One side edge portion of the sheet I I' is folded, as seen at 1.3., note Fig. 3, and aflanged edge M is arranged. upon. and secured to the: rear surface of. the sheet l0. The other side'- edge portion of the sheet H is folded,- asseen at I25; and has a flanged portion I 8 secured: to the rear surface of what 1 term a lock or supporting element N. The element II comprises two parts is 1'9 scored for relative fielding one with respect to the other, as indicated at 20.. The part t8 is: of a height equal to-the height of, the sheet or board 10, note Fig. 2'. Whereas; the part is is of. con.- siderably' less height and. is disposed. central-hr of the part I 8 and may be characterized as a locking and coupling tongue.

The tongue. i9 is adapted to bepasscd frictionally beneath a retaining. strap: or bar 2 t., the bar having inturned upperandi lower ends or flaps 2 2' and 23'; note Fig. 4, these ends being secured to theinner surface ot the bar 21 to the rear surface of the sheet I 0, so as to. form an elongated. slot or opening 214 into and through which the tongue tSnis adapted to. pass. The inner ends'ZZ and. 23. of the flaps 2.2. and. 23 form guides through which the upper and lower edges of the. tongue I9 snugly, but ,freely pass, thus maintaining alinement. of the parts one with. respectto the other, particularly the device: is hung from a supportwhichmay pass. through an opening Ztain the back wall: 0..

When the parts areassembled. and set up for display use, as. seen in Fig 1 and infull, lines in Fish 2:, the inner end or edge of the part t8. abuts against the flaps 22 and 23. the tongue. [9 protrudes; well beyond the strap or retaining bar it. However... when the sheet H: is: brought flatly upon the sheet or back" wall. 10; in the compact or iull folded position, of, the. parts,. the

. tongue, l9- will still remain the aperture 24 of the strap, as. is clearly indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 2; Byproviding'; the fold ZO-hetween the parts [8: and t9, assemblage oi the device is made: possible. other words; the parts can be folded to the positionindicated in Fi n- 3 to; enable: the free: edge of the tongue: l9} to be inserted into: the aperture 24. However, when. once: inserted, andthe; parts t8 and. In are brought. into alinement. they are retained in this position at. all times. When the device is: delivered. to a customer or prospective user; it is. in the fiat state, indicated in: dot. and dash lines, in Fig. 2, and; to: assemble. the. device for display use, all that the individual has. to do, is to push inwardly on the folded edge [-5 to advance the tongue 19 to the full line position of Fig. 2, which automatically bows or extends the flextble: sheet H to the curved? position, clearly illustrated Fig. 1..

reason: oi the frictional engagement be twisting or other operations.

tween the tongue l9 and the strap 21 and rear surface of the back-board or sheet [0, the parts are retained in the set up position as shown in Fig. l, but can be forcefully extended to the collapsed position. This latter is possible by having the flaps 22 at substantially the same thickness as the tongue 19, or slightly thinner so that the tongue [9 can be frictionally passed through the opening 24. It will be understood that both parts l8 and [9 rest flatly and snugly uponthe rear surface of the sheet 10, particularly when the device is in set up condition.

In Figs. and 7 of the drawing, I have shown a slight modification wherein a back sheet 26, generally similar to the sheet H] is employed, a

front flexible sheet 21, similar to the sheet I l anda lock element 28, similar to the element I! operating in connection with a strap or bar 29, similar to the bar 2|.

In Figs. 5 and 7, the upper and lower edges of the sheet 26 have foldable triangular members 30 and 3| which are adapted to be extended into the sheet 21 to support said sheet to produce the resulting triangular cross-sectional form illustrated in 5. In other words, the members 30 and 3| can be of different shapes and forms and serve to give predetermined contour to the flexible and forwardly extended sheet 21.

In Fig. 6 of the drawing, I have shown another modification in which the entire display device is made from a single sheet of relatively rigid or firm material, the sheet being folded to form a back wall 32, a bevelled side wall 33, a front wall 34, another bevelled side Wall 35 and a lock element 36, the latter being similar in all respects to the lock element H and operating in conjunction with a strap or bar 3'1, similar to the bar 2| and secured to the rear surface of the back sheet 32. With this type of construction, the tongue portion 38 of the lock element 36 will be made sufiiciently long to compensate for the fiat positioning of the wall parts 33, 34 and 35 to maintain the interengaged assemblage, as indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 2 of the device, when the device is fully collapsed. With the structure shown in Fig. 6, the unitary frame may be composed of cardboard or fibreboard, which would produce an opaque display visible only on the external surfaces of the walls 33, 34 and 35. Whereas, in the structure shown in the other figures, the outwardly extending wall can be formed from the transparent or translucent material, so that three-dimensional effects can be obtained in the characterization of the display by virtue of the shadows thrown upon the surface of the back wall or panel of the device.

By reason of the method of construction, a

very attractive display of the type and kind under consideration can be produced at a relatively nominal cost and the displays can be conveniently handled from a standpoint of packaging and shipment and/or storage, and at the same time, quickly and easily set up without performance of any type or kind of folding, bending, Extended devices, of the kind under consideration, become selfsupporting on a counter, table, floor or other support, and at the same time, can be hung from a suspendinghook or nail.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A display device of the class described comprising a back-board of relatively firm material, a sheet of flexible translucent material of greater 4 width than said back-board, one edge of the last named sheet being foldably hinged to one side edge portion of said back-board, the other side edge portion of said flexible sheet being foldably attached to a lock element, a strap arranged vertically on the back-board and forming, in conjunction therewith, a pocket for reception of said lock element, said lock element retaining the parts in assembled relationship at all times While permitting movement of the parts from a flat collapsed position to a position in which the flexible sheet is extended forwardly with respect to and within side edges of said back-board, said lock element comprising hingedly related parts, one part comprising a tongue member slidably and frictionally engaging said strap and back board, and the other part being of substantially the same vertical dimensions as that of the backboard and abutting the strap in the support of said parts in set up condition one with respect to the other.

2. A display device of the class described comprising a back-board of relatively firm material, a sheet of flexible translucent material of greater width than said back board, one edge of the last named sheet being foldably hinged to one side edge portion of said back-board, the other side edge portion of said flexible sheet being foldably attached to a lock element, a strap arranged vertically on the back-board and forming, in conjunction therewith, a pocket for reception of said lock element, said lock element retaining the parts in assembled relationship at all times while permitting movement of the parts from a flat collapsed position to a position in which the flexible sheet is extended forwardly with respect to and within side edges of said back-board, said look element comprising hingedly related parts, one part comprising a tongue member slidably and frictionally engaging said strap and back board, the other part being of substantially the same vertical dimensions as that of the backboard and abutting the strap in the support of said parts in set up condition one with respect to the other, and said back wall having parts foldable with respect thereto and operatively engaging the fiexible sheet to support said sheet in predetermined extended position with respect to the back-board.

3. A display device of the character described, comprising relatively foldable parts, one part comprising a back wall defining the width of the display, said part having a retaining strap forming on the rear surface thereof a pocket, another front part of greater width than the back part and foldable with one side thereof, said front part having throughout the length of the free side edge thereof a foldable portion comprising a lock element, said lock element having a reduced tongue arranged in said pocket and frictionally engaging said strap and back wall in supporting the front part in outwardly extending position within side boundaries of the back part, and said tongue being retained in engagement with the strap when the parts are collapsed flatly one upon the other.

4. A display device of the character described, comprising relatively foldable parts, one part comprising a back wall defining the width of the display, said part having a retaining strap forming on the rear surface thereof a pocket, another front part of greater width than the back part and foldable with one side thereof, said front part having throughout the length of the free side edge thereof a foldable portion comprising a lock element, said lock element having a reduced tongue arranged in said pocket and frictionally engaging said strap and back Wall in supporting the front part in outwardly extending position Within side boundaries of the back part, said tongue being retained in engagement with the strap when the part are collapsed flatly one upon the other, and means on the back Wall part cooperating with the front part for retaining said last named part in predetermined crosssectional contour when the front part is in extended position.

HERMAN H. I'IUTT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number 

